Inland Boatman Union Members and Supporters Rally for Justice at Georgia Pacific

Members of the Inlandboatmen’s Union who work at warehouses for Georgia Pacific (owned by the Koch Brothers -two major funders of the tea party) have been working without a contract since March 1st.

In October, after months of negotiations, Georgia Pacific gave their final offer.  100% of the bargaining unit voted on the contract, and every single one of them voted no.  It asked for too much, didn’t take into account workers’ priorities, and didn’t reflect the negotiations.

The negotiating teams went back to the table this week.  Members of the IBU had three top concerns: healthcare, their pension, and their attendance policy. 

Currently IBU members pay 25% of their healthcare costs; the cap Georgia Pacific wants to institute would increase member contributions by about $100 a month next year alone.  The IBU pension, like most pensions, took a big hit the past few years; all IBU employers are stepping up to help restore the fund, but Georgia Pacific won’t even talk about pensions until they see complete yearly numbers, which won’t be available until January; the Georgia Pacific proposal would pull their workers out of the pension and create 401Ks with what’s left, even for older workers who’ve been counting on their pension through decades of work for the company.  And finally, Georgia Pacific wants to change the attendance policy, giving managers more discretion over discipline and changing from a days-based to a percentage-based policy, leaving workers who have fewer hours with little choice but to come to work even if they are sick (workers don’t have paid sick leave, and sick time is counted against their attendance unless it is FMLA-qualified).

Georgia Pacific isn’t willing to talk about pensions until they see final yearly numbers in January.  But IBU members are ready to talk now and want to get the contract settled.